Remembering Johor Baru's Coffeeshop King

On August 7, 2021, Hong Say Tee, better known as Johor Baru’s Coffeeshop King, passed away peacefully at the ripe old age of 100.

 

Hong Say Tee, Coffeeshop King of Johor Baru
as guest speaker at the event in 2011

In coffee-shop circles, Hong was renowned as the Coffeeshop King because he made a name for himself as a leading owner of coffeeshops and cafés in the city.

 

At an event organised by the Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk Committee in October 2011, I had the privilege of meeting the Coffeeshop King, where he was the guest speaker to reminisce and share his memories of Johor Baru.

 

Hong spoke in Mandarin and with the help of old photographs, he turned the pages of history to let us have a glimpse of life in Johor Baru in pre-war days right up to the 1970’s.

 

Hong, a Foochow who arrived in Johor Baru from Fukien Province, China, in 1935, was an entrepreneur who through hard work and perseverance, owned and operated coffeeshops on almost every road in town.

 

Hong pointed to a photo of himself on
Jalan Doby, Johor Baru

He once owned coffee-shops at Jalan Dhoby, Jalan Pahang and Jalan Wong Ah Fook, and many will remember popular dining destinations like Wato Inn and Wato Snack Bar along Jalan Ibrahim because they were the first air-conditioned cafés here.  

 

Hong will be fondly remembered by generations who appreciate the courage of this innovative pioneer who transformed traditional coffee-shops into modern cafes and snack bars, the first to introduce a brand-new dining concept that revolutionised the image of local Food & Beverage outlets here. 

 

It was only after my story, Coffeeshop King reminisces was published, that I learnt that Hong was in fact, the father-in-law of Jennifer, a former classmate.

 

My matchbox collection for those collected
from Wato Snack Bar, Wato Inn
and Hotel Wato Inn in Johor Baru

In 2017, I shared a feature in the My Johor Stories page of The Iskandarian newspapers, with my own memories about JB’s early cafes and coffeehouses where I also reminisced about Hong’s initiative in opening the first Wato snack-bar.

 

At that time, Wato Snack Bar on the ground floor of the OCBC Building and Wato Inn on the ground floor of the Foh Chong Building, were considered cool and posh dining destinations because this was where customers could dine in air-conditioned comfort.

 

Photo from Jennifer to show me her food;
Note the monogrammed logo for Wato on bowl

These cafés were probably where most guys would bring their dates to impress them with fancy drinks like Coke Float or 7-Up Float, served in tall glasses topped with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and decorated by a tiny paper umbrella.

 

I recalled that besides a menu of European and local dishes, a range of flavoured milk-shakes and fancy Banana Split ice-creams, Wato would be best remembered for their warm and delicious curry puffs and chicken pies.

 

[Then one day, Jennifer shared a photograph to show me her food but my attention was not on the food but riveted to the bowl that she was using.

 

A matchbook collected from
Lady Jade Coffeehouse in JB

I realised that it was a precious relic from the days of Wato where the crockery used to serve diners, were monogrammed with the logo for Wato. Wow!]

 

With the success of Wato, Hong opened yet another café at Jalan Segget. 

 

Lady Jade Coffeehouse served a menu similar to Wato, including those popular chicken pies in flaky pastry, and this café even had a musician to provide live music entertainment.

 

The Wato brand was further developed into Hotel Wato Inn situated at Jalan Bukit Meldrum where it also had a Taiwan Porridge Restaurant and coffee-house.

 

In 2018, I had the pleasure of meeting Hong again.

This time in his home for a personal interview with him to feature Johor Baru’s Coffeeshop King in the Portraits section of my next book, in the My Johor Stories series of books.

Hong Say Tee, the inspirational
Coffeeshop King of Johor Baru

My experience of this interview with Hong, along with other subjects featured in my book, was recorded in, Building Bridges, and posted in November 2018.

While saddened by his passing, I am deeply honoured for the privilege to document his life-story and his journey to be recognized as Johor Baru’s Coffeeshop King in my book, My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People*.

Hong has accomplished much in his long and eventful life, opening and operating coffeeshops, modern cafés and hotels including the unforgettable Yong Nasi Padang, the Wato chain of outlets as well as Lady Jade Coffeehouse in JB.

 

Hong will be well-remembered for his inspiring work as a pioneer who boldly introduced a brand-new dining concept here and of course, by his nickname, the Coffeeshop King of Johor Baru.

 

Rest in Peace, Hong Say Tee, the inspirational Coffeeshop King of Johor Baru.

 

* Read more about the Coffeeshop King of Johor Baru in My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online from www.mphonline.com.